


Frosted Bones

by RiverRunningFree



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Case Fic, Castiel is Protective of Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester Angst, Dean Winchester Angst, Dean Winchester is Protective of Castiel, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Hurt Dean Winchester, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Relationship, Fever, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Frostbite, Hurt Castiel (Supernatural), Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Hypothermia symptoms, Hypothermic Castiel (Supernatural), Hypothermic Dean Winchester, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Medical Conditions, Medical Jargon, Monster of the Week, Nerd Sam Winchester, Original Character(s), Pneumonia, Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Dean Winchester, Third Wheel Sam Winchester, Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved Dean Winchester, Worried Castiel (Supernatural), Worried Dean Winchester, Worried Sam Winchester, original monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:06:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24885814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverRunningFree/pseuds/RiverRunningFree
Summary: Dean met his eyes, the green irises pulsing in concern. He reached out slowly to cup Cas’ cheek, rubbing the scruff gently under his thumb. “Just breathe. I’ve got you.““I can’t heal it with my grace.” Cas’ voice shook slightly.“I know, Cas.” Dean replied softly, “I know.”Sam, Dean, and Cas head north for what they assume is an everyday, run-of-the-mill case. But instead, Dean and Cas have to face not only a monster they've never seen before, accompanied with the harsh elements of winter, but also Dean's secret insecurities that have been effecting their relationship since the beginning.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 26
Kudos: 114





	1. Chapter 1

Sam twirled a pencil between his fingers, absently watching the two idiots that were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Dean and Cas were enthralled in an in-depth discussion on the recent plot development in their latest episode of Game of Thrones. Dean gesturing animatedly, arms flying wide as he talked about the necessity of the most recent character death, while Cas merely huffed in disagreement, arms crossing in shallow annoyance.

It was so… domestic.

Which was understandable considering that Dean and Cas had _finally_ removed the sticks up their asses about a month ago and confessed their undying love and devotion for each other. Well. Cas had confessed. Dean did more of a stuttering, halting, run-on sentence with the facial expression of someone who had been severely constipated for a disconcertingly long period of time.

But they’d worked it out.

Eventually.

It was nice, actually. Watching them work past their emotional blockages and accept their love for each other. It was kinda… cute, really. Though Sam would never admit it out loud. The couple seemed to have developed this deep connection that allowed them to understand each other without even needing to speak. They supported each other’s decisions. Rarely argued or fought anymore, at least fights that didn’t end in some sort of mature discussion resolving the matter.

It was pretty impressive, honestly. Though Sam did give most of the communication credit to Cas, however. He wasn’t blind enough to think that there was equal effort in that part of their relationship. What with Dean being… well, Dean. But all things considered, their relationship was off to a smooth start.

Which was why Sam was so confused by this.

He put down his pencil and glanced back at his computer and the case he was researching, trying to ignore the fact that his brother and his brother’s boyfriend were sitting on opposite sides of the couch. Again. That in itself wasn’t a if deal. The problem was that ever since they had started dating, there had been zero sign of any public physical affection. No touching, no kissing, no hugging, and _definitely_ no snuggling on the couch.

It wasn’t any of Sam’s business, but still. He was concerned.

He cleared his throat.

“So, get this.”

Twin heads popped up to look at him from across the room. Dean looked a little miffed at being interrupted from their nerdy discussion, but Cas just raised his eyebrows curiously. “You managed to find us a potential case, Sam?”

Nodding quickly, Sam brushed away his matchmaker cap and slipped back into hunter-mode. He picked up the laptop bringing it over to where the two men could see it, “Over the past 3 months, 5 people have disappeared while hiking through Glacier National Park, which is located in Northwest Montana and passes slightly into Canada.”

Dean scrunched his nose at that, muttering something under his breath about Montana and their snow-obsession. Cas just rolled his eyes at him and motioned for Sam to continue.

“Two of the five bodies have turned up, but all the coroner’s report says about them is that they were, ‘Intentionally damaged beyond visual recognition by an assumed third-party’.” Sam chewed his lip for a moment. “I mean, it sounds like our kind of thing, right? They all disappeared within a ten-mile radius of each other.”

“You’re thinking Wendigo?” Dean supplied.

Sam rubbed at his jaw, “Maybe.” He mumbled. Cas leaned forward to take the laptop from Sam’s hands, nodding silently as him and Dean scrolled through the news reports. “I think you are right Sam. This definitely looks like our kind of occurrence.”

Sighing dramatically Dean pushed himself to his feet, groaning obnoxiously, “Fiiiine. Let’s go freeze our butts into ass-icles and hunt down this fugly.” He headed out of the room tossing over his shoulder, “Leaving in ten!”

“Don’t forget to pack your pair of red plaid thermal underwear!” Cas shouted after him from his position on the couch. He caught Sam shaking his head chuckling out of the corner of his eye. “What?”

Sam just smirked as he stood and followed Dean out, “So freaking domestic.” He laughed, footsteps echoing out into the hallway.

Alone in the room, Cas felt a warm smile tug at his lips, “Yes it is, isn’t it?”

It was a day and a half later that they finally arrived in the small town located on the outer region of the National Park. Dean was already complaining about what the salt roads were doing to Baby’s undercarriage and Sam’s back was stiff and aching from the non-stop driving across the country. Neither of the brothers were in that great of a mood.

So, after arriving in Nowheresville and hearing from the locals that a big blizzard was about to blow through in a few days, tensions were a bit high. Sam and Dean were snapping back and forth at each other, arguing about what course of action to take while Cas leaned against the motel room’s kitchen counter and tried to mediate. Fairly unsuccessful, however.

“Dude, it’s not rocket science! We’re on a time crunch, divide and conquer is our best option here! Why’re you butting your head against this?” Dean yelled in frustration as he jerkily sorted through his weapons duffle, pulling out a pair of flare guns and sorting through rock-salt cartridges. He glared over at his stubborn little brother with more than a little heat.

Sam threw up his hands in disbelief, “Because it’s a stupid plan, Dean! You want me to go waltz myself over to the coroner’s office and then go interview witnesses while you head out into subzero temperatures in an enormous National Park to hunt down a monster we know nothing about, with a blizzard on the way? What the hell, Dean?”

“Okay first, I would have Cas with me,” He glanced over at Cas who nodded seriously in affirmation of his support, earning him a scoff from Sam, “And secondly, we won’t be hunting it, just looking around. We’ll scout out some tracks, pick up some clues, then we’ll all meet up back here tonight and compare notes. Then tomorrow morning we can head out together and hunt down the icy bastard.” Dean forcefully zipped back up his duffel and turned to face Sam directly, “It’s efficiency, Sam, what’s so bad about that?”

Sam felt his frustration deflate at his brother’s logic. It was a solid plan, after all. But still, “It’s dangerous.” He looked up at Dean with big puppy eyes, his worry filtering into his expression.

A heavy hand landed gently on his shoulder and Sam turned to see Cas giving him an sympathetic look, “I understand that this is perhaps not an ideal situation, but if we do not split up in this manner then we will never be able to gather enough information to hunt this monster properly before the storm hits.”

“We could wait until after the storm?” Sam offered weakly. He knew that they were right, and normally he would absolutely agree. It was just… Sam’s gut was twisting, and something felt off. He didn’t think this was a Wendigo, he really didn’t. Something in his brain was screaming at him to not let them go out there. But they were right, there was no other option.

“Alright. Fine.”

Dean nodded, relief showing on his shoulders, he hated when they fought. “Look, we’ll be careful, okay? We’ll stick to the trails, keep our eyes peeled. It’ll be fine.” The hunter caught Cas’ eye for a moment, the two of them staring just slightly too long, not that that was abnormal at all. “Three of the vics were loners from out of state, just here for the snow camping. So that only leaves you two locals to ask about.”

Eyes sliding to look over at the pile of news articles and photographs that littered his bed, Sam's mind running through its automated inquiries checklist as Dean continued, “Just be careful not to shake too many trees, you know how protective locals get about their own.” Dean advised. He was totally aware that Sam knew all this, but his big brother mode was more than a little possessive.

“You know the drill, dude. So do we.” The older brother gave Sam a quick supportive thump on his back before heading into the motel bathroom.

Sam paused for a moment before turning to Cas, his voice lowering to a discreet whisper, “Be careful out there, Cas. This…this doesn’t feel right.” Cas nodded silently, chewing on his lip for a moment before Sam continued, “And… take care of Dean, please.”

Cas looked up at that, determination and protectiveness showing on his features, “Always.” He promised. The angel glanced over at the bathroom door, “I may not have much power left in my grace, but no matter what happens on this earth or in this life, I will always be there to protect Dean.”

It was a promise. And Sam couldn’t help but feel as though he had tread into a sacred prayer. The angel continued to stare softly at the door while the sink water finally turned off and Dean stepped back out. Dean saw Cas staring at him, not at all aware of the context of their conversation. But yet he still blushed and smiled slightly, eyes averting as Cas watched him walk over to start the coffee maker.

Sam hoped Cas’ promise would be enough.

“Damn I feel for ducks.”

Eyebrows quirking in amusement, Cas looked over to the hunter stomping along next to him. Dean’s cheeks were ruddy, and his nose was red from the biting cold. He was layered up in a parka and fleece-lined jeans, much like Castiel himself, though Cas was smart enough to be wearing actual snow pants, not at all deterred by Dean’s disdainful sniff when he’d picked them out at the nearby outdoors sporting goods store.

Cas was still an angel, true. But his grace was running on near-empty these days and while he could maintain his own body temperature fairly consistently, he didn’t see the need to burn up grace on something that a few layers of clothes could fix. Hence the temporary abandonment of his trench coat and suit for this case.

“And why, do tell, are you feeling remorse for the water fouls at this particularly specific time?” Cas’ mouth twisted into a smirk as he watched Dean stumble slightly beside him. He reached out, grabbing Dean’s elbow, and steadied him on his feet before they continued walking again, this time with Dean blushing furiously from their physical contact. Cas hummed thoughtfully to himself.

“Because,” Dean lifted one of his booted feet, shaking about the attached snowshoe in the air for emphasis, “Their little webbers. Imagine having to walk around with big webbed feet all the time, it would be like wearing these babies twenty-four seven.” As if on cue, Dean’s snowshoe caught on another snow drift, tossing Dean unceremoniously face-first into the snow. “Oomph.”

Cas chuckled lightly to himself as he assisted his boyfriend in removing himself from the engulfing pile of snow. Thankfully, it was dry and powdery so a few quick brushes to his clothes and now spikey hair left him relatively snow-free. “In that case, perhaps it is good you are not a duck.”

Dean glared at Cas, although any effect of its heat was entirely lost by the sight of the big, soft snowflakes that stuck to the tips of his eyelashes. The white contrasted sharply with his eyes, causing the vibrant green to practically burst with color.

Cas couldn’t help but smile tenderly at the beautiful sight. Dean’s body, Dean’s _soul_ was positively gorgeous. Here in this moment with Dean now standing entirely within Cas’ ‘personal space’, he couldn’t help but stare down at Dean’s lips, red and full. Cas could imagine how soft and light they would feel against his own lips-

“Cas, stop.”

Blinking for a moment, the angel looked back up at Dean’s eyes. The hunter was quickly backing away from him, face now paling and looking wary. When had he leaned in like that? Cas shook himself. “I’m sorry Dean, I just- I got caught up in-“

“You promised, Cas.”

Raising his hands in surrender, he watched a little of the tension release from Dean’s shoulders. “I know, Dean. I still do not understand why you desire this, but I told you I would abide by your wishes.” Dean’s rapid breathing slow down to a steady rhythm.

“I’m sorry.” Dean dropped his head slightly. “I know you deserve better, Cas…”

Placing his hands gently on Dean’s shoulders, Cas tilted his head to catch Dean’s eyes, “I am no more deserving than you, Dean Winchester. If you do not currently desire romantic physical intimacy, then that is your decision and I will honor it.” He gave Dean’s shoulders a firm squeeze, “I love you, now and always. Nothing will change that.”

Dean looked as if he was going to respond for a second, then he shut his mouth and nodded.

The angel guided the hunter back into their walking pace, giving one last gentle rub on his back before dropping his hands and returning them to his pockets for extra precaution. Dean seemed to shiver at the loss of his warmth, but surely Cas was just imagining it.

Clearing his throat, Dean continued his scanning of the trail as they walked.

The trouble was that snow fell fairly regularly up here, and even the trail maintained at least a healthy foot or two of snow at all times during this season. Because of that, any tracks or markings would likely have been obliterated within a few days of their happening.

The snow was soft and dry, it layered everything in a thick blanket of white. Even the evergreens were coated the thick flakes, with sharp and glistening icicles swaying from their branches. Dean would catch their twinkling out of the corner of his eye. The blue sky was stark against the all-encompassing white and hidden sharp greens. It was a vibrant pallet, the sun shining through it all.

As much as Dean hated the damn cold, even he had to admit, it really was quite beautiful up here.

Sam looked down at the two bodies, nose wrinkling on instinct.

Well.

This certainly wasn’t what he had been expecting.

Both of the bodies lay flat on their slabs, uncovered and open. But instead of being ripped apart or mangled like that of a Wendigo’s victim, they had _holes_ in them. As if someone had actually _drilled_ into their bodies. Over and over and over again. Dozens of deep, gouging holes.

Sam let his gaze wander over the still bodies, brain working on overdrive to recall what exactly was capable of doing something like this. It obviously wasn’t any of the normal run-of-the-mill monsters. Even the rarer ones didn’t seem to be ringing any bells.

A half an hour later, Sam found himself sitting in front of his laptop back at the motel. The clicking of keys filling the dead air that filled the room. He scrolled through pages upon pages of different legends and myths, but nothing seemed to fit both the location and the attack description.

He swiped a hand over his face in frustration.

Maybe he should go talk to witnesses. Yet something told him that the witnesses would just be a dead-end, a waste of time. And after looking outside his window, Sam realized that they didn’t have that time to waste.

“Damn it.”

Outside the wind was picking up and the snow was starting to come down a little harder, a little faster. Not wipe-out conditions by any stretch. Yet. But it was definitely a sign that the blizzard was going to be here a lot sooner than they had thought.

Sam looked back to his laptop one more time before trying to call Dean.

He listened to the dial tone before an automated voice told him the number was not currently available. Dean must be out of cell range. Great. Just what they needed. He tried Cas’ number but got the same result.

Sam turned back to the window, standing up to go look outside.

The temperature had started to drop a little in response to the on-coming storm, but thankfully there were still a few hours of daylight left. Dean and Cas hadn’t brought any provisions, asides from a few bottles of water and some peanut m&ms. If they got stuck out there overnight…

Sam shook his head. He was overreacting.

Dean knew how to handle himself in the outdoors. They would be back in an hour or two once they saw the storm coming in.

Sam went back inside and opened his laptop again. Time to figure this mess out.

An hour later and Dean was pretty sure his ears had been replaced by large ice cubes. Sniffling against the biting wind, Dean tried to forcibly rub warmth back into his ears. They prickled painfully and silently Dean wished for Sammy’s long hair to cover his ears, at least then they’d probably be warm.

The angel trudging quietly beside him didn’t seem effected by the weather in the least. Bastard.

“I didn’t think the blizzard was supposed to hit us this soon. The weather reports stated that it would not arrive for another couple days at least.” Cas’ snowshoes seemed incredibly easy for him to manage on the slowly rising terrain. Dean scowled.

“Trust me, the blizzard hasn’t hit yet. This is just her little RSVP to let us know she’s on the way.” The hunter squinted up at the snow clouds beginning to dot the sky. “But, yeah. I’d thought we’d have more time too. It’s going to get a lot worse here pretty quick.”

The wind gave a particularly forceful gull, whipping through Dean’s hair almost like in affirmation.

The sun was still fairly visible over the treetops, although there did seem to be a limit on how much was left for the day. Cas was thankful that Dean had decided they turn back a while ago. Another two or three miles and they would be back to the trail entrance and in the safe embrace of Baby’s heater.

Their footsteps were in perfect timing as the couple hauled themselves up their latest rise in the trail. They hadn’t found anything of interesting on their excursion, unfortunately. Cas was fairly disappointed that their trek had been a virtual waste. Well, as far as the case was concerned. Hiking in the beautiful Glacier National Park with no sounds but the chirping wintry birds and Dean’s endearing jokes, it was actually quite a wonderful time for them.

Except now the birds had stopped chirping and Dean was focusing more on his burning red ears than on making Cas laugh. The shiny white terrain had begun to take on a more ominous feel and the wind was quickly become the dominant voice in the area. Cas would be glad when they finally made it back to Baby. Safe and sound.

Well. Unfortunately for them both, however, life was never quite that easy.

“Cas.”

Dean grabbed the angel’s arm, pointing to a spot off the trail, hidden behind several rows of snow-laden trees. Cas squinted.

“What is it? What do you see?”

Instead of answering like a rational human being, however, Dean took off into the trees in pursuit. His black parka flapping behind him. Honestly, Cas was just surprised Dean was able to even run in those snowshoes, considering he could barely walk in them.

“Dean!” The angel raced off after him and broke into the crowded line of trees, no way was he letting Dean out of his sight.

“There! There! Cas up ahead!”

Dean’s call came floating back to Cas’ hearing just as the angel caught sight of what Dean was chasing.

There was a figure. Short, very stocky, but any other defining features seemed to be lost in the distance. But it was moving fast. Faster than a human, that was certain. The creature was zipping around trees, with Dean hot on its heels, his long legs being the only reason that he could somewhat keep the thing in his sights.

“Cas, come on! We’re gaining on it!”

Cas pumped his legs faster, jumping over large tree roots and ducking under thick branches, Dean was only about twenty feet ahead of him. Cas dodged around another tree, feeling a light sweat breaking out on his upper lip.

“Dean! Wait, we’re going too far off the tr-“

His foot catches on an unseen root, wrenching his ankle and tossing him forward in a pile of snow. He lands with a thud causing him to release a rough yelp at his impact with the ground.

“Cas!” He hears Dean backtrack towards him; creature completely forgotten far ahead. The man kneels next to him carefully, hands patting up and down his body in assessment as Cas tries to clear the disorientation from his head. Dean lets out a growl of frustration when he discovers Cas’ messed up ankle. “Damnit.”

He looks up scanning around them in case the creature decides to come back. Nothing. He turns back to Cas’ awkwardly bent ankle, carefully removing the snowshoe from the boot.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to wrap up this baby nice and tight, and then we’re going to follow our tracks back to the trail and hobble our way home. Alright?” Dean is breathing hard and only half talking to Castiel.

The pain was stabbing, it felt like there was a hot iron stabbing through the bones in his ankle. He bit back a groan. Dean met his eyes, the green irises pulsing in concern. He reached out slowly to cup Cas’ cheek, rubbing the scruff gently under his thumb. “Just breathe. I’ve got you.“

“I can’t heal it with my grace.” Cas’ voice shook slightly.

“I know, Cas.” Dean replied softly, “I know.” Dean took off his parka and tugged at his flannel, ripping off a couple strips to use for bandages. He ignored Cas’ protests as he put the coat back on and began wrapping the injured limb. “It’s just a broken ankle, Cas. You’ll be okay. I’ve got you.”

“Broken ankle or no, it is still far more painful than what should be to an angel.” Came the muttered response.

“…I know.”

A couple of groans and painful winces later and the two of them were on their way back to the trail. Their tracks through the woods was easy to follow, at first. There were broken branches and heavy footprints in the snow depicting their previous bolting. Cas’ arms was swung around Dean’s shoulder and the two did indeed ‘hobble’ their way along.

“What do you think that creature was, Cas?”

“I’m not sure.” He sighed, leaning a little more into Dean’s body. He felt terrible for relishing in the physical contact, but Dean just pulled him closer. “It was fast, certainly. But far too small to be a Wendigo. I have no idea what it could be.”

“Yeah, that thing had road runner jets for sure. Scrappy little son of a bitch.” Dean paused for a moment to cough into his elbow before continuing, “I hope Sammy’s got some info dug up by the time we get back.”

The wind whistled harder and Cas had begun to squint to see through the now heavy falling snow, “Well let’s just hope we get back sooner rather than later.” The angel mumbled. Dean just hummed in response pausing for a moment and looking around before he altered their course slightly.

Cas felt a shiver rack Dean’s body and he looked over at him in concern, “Are you alright?”

“Mhmm.” Dean hummed distractedly looked around again, pausing once more. “I’m just cold. Damn wind.” He muttered under his breath while scanning the trees. His eyes squinted and Cas observed the light crinkles by his eyes fondly.

“Well you probably wouldn’t be quite so cold if you hadn’t ripped up that flannel for me.” He chastised softly.

“Uh huh. Well, you needed a bandage Cas, that was a no-brainer mover.” Dean huffed as he stopped once more to look around him. Cas watched him swallow thickly before looking over to Cas, his face paling. “I can’t see our tracks.”

There was a pause.

“Wh-What?”

Cas whipped his head around, looking about them frantically.

But all he could see was white. Frosted snow on the trees, on the ground, in the air, in the sky. He blinked and squinted but no matter how hard he looked; he knew Dean was right. Their tracks had been obliterated by the snow fall and the broken branches were nowhere to be seen.

“We are lost.”

“Yup.”

“We are lost, in a massive national park, with a blizzard coming in, with almost no provisions, and an unknown monster out here with us and no idea of how to kill it?”

“Yes, Captain Obvious. That’s the skinny.”

Cas took a few panicked breaths before he felt Dean grab his free hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay Cas. I’ll get you back home safe. I promise.”

But as Cas took in the blue lips and the red nose and the slight shiver that was developing in Dean’s shoulders, he couldn’t help but be worried instead about Dean being the one to get home safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter done! I've always wanted to write a story like this and I am so excited to actually give it a shot!
> 
> I hope you guys like it! Please comment below what you think, I love hearing from you all!


	2. Chapter 2

Sam was freaking out.

Par for the course when it comes to Dean and Cas and their magnetism towards danger. However, in this particular scenario, there was literally nothing that Sam could do to help them. The sun had set over an hour ago, the temperature was dropping into the single digits Fahrenheit, and the snow was heading toward white-out conditions. The roads had been shut down, which said a lot for a northern Montana town, and the cable signal in the TV was crapping in and out.

It was taking a concentrated effort for Sam to not completely pull out all of his hair. His fingers were twitchy and there was now a well-worn path in the carpet of the motel room floor from all the pacing he was doing.

With a frustrated sigh, Sam plopped back into his chair, staring accusingly at his laptop screen. He had known this was a bad idea, he had _known._ But had Dean listened to him? No! Of course not! The two idiots had probably been lured off the path by this thing and now…

Another sigh.

An Ikuutayuq.

That’s what the monster was.

It had taken three hours of scanning very dodgy-looking websites, but he had finally stumbled upon it. An Ikuutayuq. It was an Inuit monster from the Artic Circle that was known for torturing its victims until their death. Ikuutayuq literally meant “The One Who Drills”. The legends say there were two of them. A brother and a sister.

The tale goes that the sister would drag the victims to a ritual circle of ice pillars and drill into their body until they were riddled with deep fatal holes while the brother held them down and watched. Sam shivered. The legend also said that the sister had been killed by some Inuit hero and the brother had fled the Arctic circle. Perhaps to come here.

Sam couldn’t know for sure though, if the sister was actually dead, or if that was just the mythical part of the story. For all he knew, Dean and Cas could be stuck out there with _two_ monsters. Who tortured and killed people for fun. And Sam had no idea how to even kill it. Not that it would help Dean and Cas if he found anything. He was stuck here.

He glanced back out the window. He could barely see anything except darkness and grey torrents of snow. Maybe the blizzard would be the thing that killed them instead…

Sam swallowed.

Maybe he was wrong. He really, _really_ hoped he was wrong.

Sam returned to his pacing.

“I am s-such an idiot.”

The stuttered confession was barely audible above the howling wind, but Cas still caught the words. He would never agree out-loud of course, but in the current situation, the angel couldn’t help but be at least slightly frustrated with Dean’s reckless act of chasing the monster off the path. They would probably be back in the motel room right now. Warm. Huddled under a pile of blankets. Well. Their own blankets, because of course Dean would never cuddle with him in “public”, i.e. in front of Sam.

But when he glanced over to assess Dean’s current physical condition, the frustration melted away instantly. The hunter was shivering violently by this point. His eyes closing with long, heavy blinks and his limbs were slightly uncoordinated.

“You are not an idiot, Dean Winchester. Not by any stretch of the imagination. However, what you _are_ is impulsive and now also mild to moderately hypothermic.”

Only a scoff in response, “Sorry an-angel, not all of us have internal grace-heaters.” He adjusted his grip on Cas’ arm that was still slung over his shoulder, shifting his weight, and blinked harshly into the striking wind. “I-If we could just find a damn ca-cave or something…” Cas looked over at him in alarm as his voice tapered off softly with another heavy blink.

“Dean. _Please_ , let me give you my coat.” Cas begged for what felt like the four-hundredth time.

“Nope.” Came the automated statement, accompanied by a stiff cough, “We ta-talked about this, Cas. Your grace is already ru-running on low, the fact that y-you’re still able to maintain your vessel’s temp is a downright miracle and no way in he-hell am I looking that gift horse in the d-damn mouth. The coat stays on.” The firmness in his voice was lost a bit with the fact that his teeth were chattering, but he more than made up for it in stubbornness.

The angel was absolutely planning on arguing back at him, right up until the moment his ankle gave him another lighting stab of pain, that is. He let out a strained groan and immediately felt Dean’s shoulders tense.

“Alright that’s it. We’re not g-going to find a cave and we’re su-sure as hell not going to find the path again. Not t-tonight at least.” Dean reached his hand out blindly, stumbling along until he made contact with a stout tree trunk. He maneuvered Cas so that he was leaning with his back against the trunk.

“S-sstay. Here. Okay?” Dean slipped out from under Cas’ hold ignoring the angel’s protesting. The loss of body warmth was felt instantly and for a moment Dean almost lost his nerve. Damn, he really wish he could curl up with Cas on the couch in front of a fire right now… He shook his head. “I’ll be ri-right b-back. I promise.”

“Dean…”

“I need to build us a shelter Cas. I’m just going to grab a few th-thick branches, and then I’ll be back, okay?” He batted away Cas’ worrying hands and slipped off his snowshoes, forcing his boots to sink deep into the snow. The deeper tracks would take longer to be wiped away by the storm, he should be able to follow them back if he hurried.

“I promise. Just a few minutes, Cas.”

Cas watched his boyfriend disappear into the night, waist-deep in the rising snow. This was another bad plan. A bad plan on top of a bad plan. Cas hated it. Just wanted Dean close, shelter be damned. Except they needed a shelter. _Dean_ needed a shelter.

He gripped tightly to the small travel backpack that Dean had passed off to him when he’d left. The bag held the two flare guns, some half-drunk water bottles and bag of peanut m&ms. They’d used one of the flair guns about an hour ago, hoping the darkness would help it be more visible. But the storm had completely obliterated it from view. Useless.

Much like Cas felt at this point.

An angel that was laid-up by a broken ankle. It was pathetic. And his grace… just enough to keep himself warm but not enough to help with anything else. To help with Dean. To keep him warm. To keep him safe. And protected.

Cas shifted back against the tree rubbing the side of his face.

Honestly, at this point in their plans, Cas would not have been in the least surprised if Dean had gotten lost, or eaten, or hurt, or _something_ , out there by himself. But the fact that a few minutes later, right on schedule, that Dean reappeared with a large bundle of heavy branches and absolutely no injuries, was actually quite surprising.

Cas flung himself into Dean’s arms as soon as the branches were dropped, causing the man to stumble back slightly. His skin felt like ice.

“Easy Cas. I t-told you I’d be back.”

Cas just nodded as Dean removed himself from the angel’s arms and began building a small triangular structure against the back of the tree using the branches as walls. Cas tried to help, but Dean just waved him off with a quick cough and a short, “Just keep a l-lookout.”

Dean’s fingers kept slipping because of how hard they shook. Wanting nothing more than to take the frozen hands in his own and blow warm breaths into them, Cas staid put. He focused instead on scanning the surrounding area, well, the areas that could be seen. The snow had piled up another few inches in the last hour. The weather was spiteful.

That thought was only intensified when, a few minutes later, Cas’ watch was interrupted by a harsh hacking round of coughing that erupted from Dean’s chest. Doubled over and clutching his chest, Dean’s face was pure white as he tried to gain control over the hacking.

“Damnit, Dean.”

Immediately at his side, Cas grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into his own chest, rubbing viciously up and down the man’s arms as his body shook and wheezed. Cas looked over that tiny structure. It was well built, sturdy, pretty much finished. Dean was just being picky at this point in the building process. It would work just fine.

“Come on, we’re going inside now.” The angel gave gentle tug, but Dean just shook his head from where it hung low, pulling back.

“I-It’s no-not f-f-fin-fini-“ He started hacking again into his elbow, tears streaming down his face from the force of it.

“It’s finished enough.” Cas forcefully pulled Dean inside the small structure, barely enough room for the two of them inside it. The biting from the wind was immediately cut down, the branches beneath them somewhat keeping out the frost from the snow below. Cas clutched Dean’s now silent frame tighter to his body, willing himself to pass on some body heat.

The golden-brown head of hair was tucked careful into his shoulder, Dean’s face hidden in his jacket. “C-C-Cas?”

Cas gently stroked his fingers through Dean’s hair, trying to brush out the melting snow and ice. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“I c-ca-c-“ He coughed weakly into Cas’ jacket, stuttering voice muffled, “I c-can’t move my f-fingers. C-can’t f-fe-feel them.” He sneezed jerkily.

Well _that_ certainly didn’t help Cas’ concern. He quickly pulled off Dean’s gloves, revealing red swollen fingers with blue blending into the tips and halfway down the fingers. Not good. Cas started rubbing them carefully between his own now-bare hands, blowing hot breaths into them periodically. Dean tensed as the sharp needles in his hands marked the return of blood flow, but otherwise he stayed silent.

Noticing the Dean’s eyes were starting to drift closed, Cas unzipped his jacket and Dean’s, holding him chest to chest and pulled the sides of his jacket around the shivering form. He didn’t know if he was supposed to let Dean sleep or not. The man was exhausted and clearly catching the first symptoms of pneumonia, sleeping would provide some much-needed rest. But at the same time, Dean was hypothermic. Isn’t sleep the worst thing to do in that case?

Cas didn’t know.

His burning ankle throbbed hot and painful as a reminder that he really was quite incapable in handling this situation.

“S’nice.”

Cas glanced down at the soft noise, “What?”

“S’nice. Y-you h-holdin’ m-me li-li-like thi’.”

Startled for a moment before his face softened and he smiled quietly. He paused. “Dean, Sweetheart?”

“Mm?”

“May I inquire to you a personal question?”

“Mhm.”

Cas looked down for a moment, “Dean? Why is it that you have not wished for any physical affection in our relationship? Given your past relationships and ‘one-night stands’, I infer that you are not in association with the aromantic or asexual community. So. . . why do you not wish to have me physically? Is there something about me that displeases you?”

“N-no!”

Cas was a little shocked at the force behind the short reply before Dean continued quietly.

“S’not you. S’me” Dean snorted softly to himself as his eyelids drooped. “M’my D-Dad would h-ha-have b-beat muh ass-s-s.”

Cas froze. The confession made sense. He quietly cursed himself for not putting it together, “You do not wish physical romantic affection because of your knowledge that your father had homophobic ideology? You do not wish to go against his memory. . .” He hesitated, thinking deeply, “. . . Or is it also that you are afraid that you do not deserve me. . . because of derogatory things your father had told you in regard to your bisexual inclinations?”

Remaining silent, Dean merely shifted and wrapped his arms around Cas’ waist, arms sneaking under his jacket. He nuzzled his nose into Cas’ shirt, humming quietly as he fell asleep.

Cas simply blinked, brain working on over drive.

If he had his full power of grace, he would fly back in time right this instant and make John Winchester become personally acquainted with the encompassing wrath of Heaven. . . and Castiel’s fist, just for good barbaric measure. The bastard.

Cas wrapped his arms tighter around Dean, rubbing up and down his back in a belated effort to transfer warmth. The angel leaned down towards Dean’s ear, whispering slightly, “It is I who does not deserve you. Sleep well, Sweetheart.” He pulled up Dean’s parka hood, tucking him in snugly against his own body.

Blue eyes drifting closed to the slowing beat of Dean’s heart.

The soft rhythm of deep breathing drifted into the air, neither hunter aware that two sets of pure-white eyes were watching them from afar.

Sam paced. And paced.

He had contacted the local search-and-rescue division about Dean and Cas’ disappearance, knowing that, monster or no, the two would never be able to find their way back home without some help after this mess. But the officials had informed him that, while they would send out a search party as soon as possible, nothing could be done until the storm had passed.

Dean and Cas were on their own.

So, Sam paced.

By the time Cas woke up a few hours later, snow had built up against the sides of the branches. The heavy weight pressed steadily against Cas’ side and his back ached from the stabbing bark of the tree behind him. Shifting carefully and still half asleep, he adjusted Dean in his arms and started to let his eyes drift closed.

Sleepily he rubbed Dean’s back to help with the shivering and provide a little warmth, humming contentedly in his chest.

. . . Shivering.

Blue eyes snapped back open.

Dean wasn’t shivering.

“Dean!” Cas looked down to see the hunter’s eyes sealed shut, body ice-cold and limp against him. Dean’s heart rate was far too slow, and his breathing was shallow. “Dean!” Shaking the hunter carefully, the angel got no response. Damnit.

He sat up straight and started rubbing life back into Dean’s hands, his legs, his arms, and especially his chest. He knew that once the extremities had been deprived of warmth, the temperature drop would have started in on Dean’s thorax and abdomen, effecting his vital organs.

Damnit. Damnit. Damnit.

“Dean, I need you to wake up. Please, babe, you need to open your eyes.” Cas rubbed his hands along Dean’s cheeks, patting him gently. “Please, please.” He massaged the man’s chest and shoulders frantically. _He needs to get warm. Damnit. Damnit. Please wake up. Please wake up._

Cas had no idea what he was doing. Was he even supposed to massage him like this? Was that a good thing? Or would it overstimulate the hunter’s heart that was now weakening from the prolonged hypothermia? He didn’t know.

He couldn’t think straight, and panic was building in his chest, and Dean wasn’t moving and-

Fire.

He should build a fire.

Cas poked his head out of the structure in panic, looking left and right for something, anything, that would help. But everything was blanketed in snow. The snowfall had cut down a bit, increasing visibility, but the wind was as strong as ever. Any branches would be wet, and Cas was no experienced woodsman that could make a fire out of wet starters.

He ducked back inside and saw that Dean’s eyes were fluttering open. “Dean! Thank the Heavens.” Cas scooped Dean close and kissed the top of Dean’s head furiously. Green eyes blinked sluggishly open, and pupils barely responded to the light change.

“C’s-s?”

“I’m here. I’m here. Just breathe. Keep your eyes open, okay babe? Eyes on me.”

Slowly. Painfully slowly. Dean’s eyes drifted over to Cas’ face, taking in the wild, dark hair and the wide, fearful eyes. He smiled dazedly.

“ S’a n-n’ce v-view.”

A laugh burst out of Cas’ throat, a couple tears rolling down his cheeks. “Don’t do that to me again, do you understand?” Dean looked amused and lifted one loose eyebrow.

“Y-yo’ W-wor-w’rri’d ‘b-bout meh?”

Cas just blinked back tears and kissed Dean’s forehead once more, trying to ground himself and ease off the panic. He needed to think clearly here. For Dean. For them both. “I always worry about you.”

Dean’s tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth. He didn’t feel cold at all really, which probably wasn’t a good sign. His limbs felt loose and thick. Like gummy worms or something. _Gummy worm arms._ Dean snorted. Everything felt fairly numb at this point, until he moved at least. Any movement felt like there fire burning under his skin. But movement was supposed to be a good thing, right? Dean didn’t know. His brain didn’t seem to be working very well at this point.

Before he could think any more about it, however, they heard the scream.

A loud, high-pitched, piercing scream that felt like it was trying to break the sound barrier with pure force.

“Aghh! F-f-f’ck!”

“Agck!”

Both men curled in on themselves, covering their ears on instinct.

The screeching note held in the air for a long couple of seconds before it cut off sharply. Dean could feel a small trickle of blood dripping from one ear, possibly a burst eardrum, a loud ringing taking place of the screaming.

Both men listened still and unmoving as the wind howled in an echoed whirlwind around them. “I believe our monster may have spotted us.”

Dean glared over at Cas.

“O-oh, ya th’nk?”

The angel merely glared back before sticking his head outside for a moment then popping back inside, “What course of action do you suggest? The monster clearly knows our whereabouts and will likely set a course of attack soon. But yet, we do not know what can kill it, whatever this monster may be, let alone whether or not we even currently possess such a weapon.”

For a second the only response was a bought of harsh coughing and some wheezed breaths, Cas quickly moving to hold Dean upright. “U-um, ‘m n-not sur’. W-we h’ve a-a-a flare gun ‘n silver knife-“ The hunter broke off to cough weakly into Cas’ chest, “-g-going ‘fter it-t-t wud b’ st-stupid, buh-t st-stayin’ wud be s-s-tupid…”His voice tapered off in an effort to regain some breath.

“Going after it would be stupid, but staying here and waiting for it to ambush us would be stupid as well?” Castiel clarified. The hunter’s speech was becoming more jumbled and slurred as time went on, causing the pit of worry in Cas’ stomach to grow in alarm.

Dean nodded through another cough, small flakes of blood spattering on his lips. He opened his mouth to continue speaking but got cut off by the tightening in his chest, finishing off in a low moan instead. Cas immediately gripped him tighter in desperation at the sight of Dean’s translucent face.

“Dean, sweetheart, forget the monster right now. What do I need to do to help with _you?_ I don’t know how to assist in human ailments, Dean. Your health is seriously declining, but I don’t- I don’t know what I should do. Please…” Cas carefully cupped the sides of Dean’s face, trying to force the hunter’s glazing eyes to focus, “Dean?”

Dean blinked slowly, humming in a drifted state, “D’n’t mu’ssoge…c’rdi’c ‘rest.”

Cas swallowed thickly, “Don’t massage your muscles because it can put strain on your heart and cause cardiac arrest?” _Damnit_ , he had already fucked this up. “O-okay. That’s for the hypothermia, what about with the pneumonia?” Keeping Dean aware and conversing was probably a good thing, Cas thought as he chewed on his lip.

“Mmm…hy’ra’ion-n.”

“Staying hydrated?”

Dean hummed softly.

“Okay…” Cas moved to their small bag, making sure to remove the flare gun and put it in his belt, just in case, and then reached for one of the bottles of water. But the water was already partially frozen. Would that be bad for the hypothermia? Cas glanced at Dean whose eyes were beginning to listlessly wander. Dean’s condition was getting worse. Cas felt the weight of the situation hit him square in the chest with a tidal wave of emotion. His throat closed up and his mouth starting speaking before his brain even caught up. “I’m so sorry, Dean. I wish I could do more for you. I wish I _knew_ more. My powers are gone and I’m so useless-“ Cas choked back a handful of tears, “I should know- I should know how to help. You deserve someone who can keep you safe and not break their freaking ankle on a tree root and-“

“Shh-hh”

Cas continued to babble on, tears streaming down his face from the almost-breakdown. He felt Dean’s arms sluggishly move to wrap around his waist. Then carefully, Dean weakly raised his head and tilted his chin, kissing Cas softly on the cheek, instantly silencing the angel’s storm of thoughts. Dean had never kissed him before. Not even on the cheek.

“W-we’re gonna be ‘kay, Cas-s.” Dean gave him one more kiss before resting his head on Cas’s chest again. “And y-you’re perf’ect-t just h-how you are. . .p-powers or not.”

Cas just sat there in a stunned silence for a few minutes, letting the warmth of Dean’s kisses linger on his skin. He didn’t know how to respond. How to react. Of course, they were already a couple, but. . . but-

Then Cas felt a heavy form barrel into their little hut, plowing through the branches and the surrounding snowbanks. The two men were tossed up into the air and landed in a heap in a thick pile of snow, more snow and few of the branches landing on top of them.

“Shit!”

The screaming was back, louder and far more piercing at the close proximity. It rang in their ears and rattled through their skulls. The pair scrambled out from under the snow, Cas giving Dean an extra pull to assist with his sluggish movements.

They popped their heads up and saw that there, standing perhaps twenty feet away, was their monster.

Dean squinted his eyes against the black dots in his vision that were accompanying the shock of the freezing winds. The monster was about only four feet high, but stocky and built like a tree trunk. Its arms were disproportionately long, dragging all the way on the ground. Its face was wide and twisted, its teeth jagged and crooked in the gaping wide maw of its mouth.

It screamed again and rushed towards them; its long arms being used like legs to propel it faster over the snow. Before Dean could even react, it was upon them. Scratching, biting, clawing at them. Dean heard Cas yell out in pain as the thing bit into the angel’s shoulder. Without even thinking, Dean dove on top of the thing, adrenaline giving him a boost of energy and focus. “Noo!”

Dean gripped tight to the creature’s body and rolled them both off of Cas and into the sinking snow. The thing twisted in his grip, swiping a sharp talon-like hand across his face, leaving four deep gashes in its wake. Dean yelled at the fire streaking across his face, punching wildly at the thing and making contact with the side of its abdomen.

It screamed again and took Dean’s head in both claws and cracked it forcefully against a nearby rock.

Dean grunted lowly and felt the darkness flooding into his vision as the blow threw him into unconsciousness. His brain screamed against him to get up and help Cas, to not leave Cas alone. But the inky black wouldn’t listen, and Dean’s eyes slipped firmly shut, body going limp.

Cas heard the deep crack of bone and forced himself to move past the flaming pain in his shoulder. He looked over just in time to see Dean’s eyes roll back into his head, a dark stream of blood flowing into the snow under his head and four claw marks ripped into his cheek and temple. The monster was crouched on top of him, it’s pale white eyes focused and thin, stringy hair plastered to its skin. It licked its lips and leaned in closer to the hunter’s prone form.

“Dean!”

He yanked the creature off of Dean, wincing against its piercing screamed response. He punched it hard, silencing the noise. It took a step back and lunged back at him, biting once more into his already mangled shoulder. He yelped and shut his eyes on instinct against the pain, not even seeing the rock that was slammed into his head by a second creature, sending him immediately into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this chapter up! I hope you guys like it. There will probably be either one or two more chapters after this, not sure yet. But a LOT more angst and hurt/comfort to come ;)
> 
> I love hearing from you all, so if you could leave a comment below and let me know what you thought, I'd be very very happy.


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